Package for coffee or the like



March 19, 1940.

Filed March 20,

1Jfi16 14 L. D. SOUBIER PACKAGE FOR COFFEE OR THE LIKE 11 .12 21 E15" Z 5 z IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS,

Patented Mar. 19, 1840 UNlTED STATES PACKAGE FOR COFFEE R LIKE Leonard 'D. Sonbier, Toledo, Ohio, assigns:- to

. Owens-Illinois Glass Gem of Ohio pany,v a corporation Application March 20, 1938, Serial No. 69,793 4 MI- (01. 2M),

The present invention relates to a container for various materials, particularly foodstuifs which are affected by exposure to the atmosphere. In the packaging of foodstuil's such as ground coffee, particularly, it is important that they do not become exposed to the atmosphere. Even if the coffee is packed in an air-tight container such as a sealed jar or the like. after the cover has been removed the coflee may begin to deteriorate due to exposure to the atmosphere. Although the cover may be tightly replaced. the fresh and tastyquallty of the coifee may be gradually lost due to this original exposure. Repeated exposures, of course, aggravate the condition.

is It is an object of the present invention to provide a container which is air-tight, moistureproof and which will prevent deterioration of the materials packed therein even though portions may be withdrawn for use.

so In,addition,,coifee which is packed in a can,

jar or large bag, when used by the average housewife. is measured out in more or less indeiinite quantities. Itis customary to withdraw a spoonful for each cup of coffee to be prepared but it is as difficult as a practical matter to withdraw accurate quantities from these relatively large containers. By withdrawing the coffee in inaccurate amounts. sometimes too much and sometimes too little, a poorer quality of coffee may be made and a considerable quantities. may be wasted.

It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a container for coffee or the like which will make available for use definite predetermined and accurately measured quantitles of coffee. Quantities of the coffee may be used in accordance with the number of cups of coffee to be made and 'these quantities may be used without exposing the remainder of the coffee left in the container.

Q It is another object of the present invention to provide a food package which will notcrack or form leaks due to aging or handling. It is intended to utilize a plastic substance which will bend-and stretc and which will not form minute 4| fissures or air leaks or break down under the presence of water or other liquid. Thus, it is an aim to retain all the fragrance and aroma'of the coffee or other food within the package.

Another object is to provide a food package up which is transparent. In the merchandising of various foods itis advantageous to, provide a transparent package through which the. purchaser may see the contents. In the packaging of coflee, the size of the grounds is an important I feature, particularly since different degrees of grinding are required for different types of preparations, as, for example, percolating, drip. or boiledcoifee. Q

A food package. besides having the above char acteristics, must also be free from an inherent 5 flavor in itself. The portions thereof which come into contact with the foodstui! should notimpart a foreigntaste or aroma to the same. It is' an aim,therefore, in the manufacture of the package, to utilize a substance which will not taint 10 the-coifee or other food substance with a foreign taste or aroma. g

Itis also an object of thepresent invention to provide a package for ingredients in which'measured quantities of said ingredients are hermeticaliy sealed in separate compartments of a container in such a manner that one compartment may be detachedfrom the others wlthout'breaking their hermetic seals. 1

A further object in conjunction with the above so is the provision of these sealed compartments in a singlelength of a transparent material. g-

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a continuous method of packaging foodstuifs such as coifee or the like.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the follow ing description taken in conjunction withthe drawing, in which: a

Fig. i is a perspective view, partly fragmentary, of my improved container;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of an apparatus for packaging foodstuffs and fabricating a container according to the present invention;

' Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a complete package;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view'of a slight modification thereof; and I Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line. 5-4 of Fig. 2. v

.The present invention contemplates a series of individual packages Ill formed from a continuous tape or sheet ll of moisture and proof material such as a thermoplastic'rubber compound or the like. The particular rubber compound intended for use here is knownby the trade name of Pliofllm" and is a moistureproof and zair-proof compound and. may I be sealed andf'fastened together by the application of. heat. .When heat is applied to a lap joint of the Pliofllm,".-the "Pliofilm'" fuses together and forms an air-tight or hermetic seal. A plastic substance such as Pliofllm" will bend and stretch and will not crack or form leaks due to aging or-handling. All of the fragrance and aroma of the coiree can be retained in .such substance.

Referring to Fig.3, the Pliofllm" is fed from a roll I! and is folded over a combined chute and mandrel l2 to provide a lap Joint l'la along which a weld is adapted to be made by the application of heat thereto. The material to be packed drops down the chute l2 in measured quantities from a measuring apparatus II. The measuring apparatus ll comprises a hopper l5 and a reciprocating feeder- IS. The feeder I6 is provided with an opening I! of predetermined size which registers at one extreme position with the hopper l5 and registers with the chute I2 at the other extreme position. When the feeder i6 is at the former extreme position shown at the left on Fig. 2, the material drops down from the hopper and fills the opening n. The feeder is then moved to the right, shutting off the hopper l5 and delivering the material in the opening I! to the chute l2.

A roll of strip paper 3i mounted in a bracket 32 for free feeding is positioned above the chute l2 and in such a manner that the paper 3] may be fed between a heated roll l8 and the lap joint Ila of the tube 22 in order to prevent direct contact between the tube 22 and the heated roll l3. Direct contact of a heated member and "Pliofilm results in a breaking down of the favorable characteristics of the material. It will be noted that the strip paper 3i is of th same width as the tube 22 but is contacted by the heated roll l8 only through the width of the lap joint Ha throughout the length of the tube, thus causing an adhesion of the paper and "Pliofllmf along this narrow band while at the same time creating-a bond or weld between the overlapping edges of the joint H a.

At the portions of the tube 22 where the transverse seals 23 are made, there is likewise caused a bonding between the Pliofllm and the paper strip 3i only through the width oi the transverse seal portions wherethe heated element 20 contacts said strip 3 l Thus, it will be noted that the paper 3l' and the tube 22 will be bonded together in a sort of I formation on each individual compartment or packet III.

In order to prevent sticking of tube 22 to the mandrel i2 during the application of heated roll i3, a fibroid strip 35 is provided and embedded in the metal of the mandrel l2, thus insulating the tube from metal contact.

As shown in Fig. 2, a tubular member 36 is provided which projects into the center of mandrel l2 and this tube may be utilized to inject inert gases into each packet in or to exhaust gases by vacuum from each packet before it is sealed. The electrically heated element 20, to which current is supplied through conduits 2|, and a fibroid anvil 20 cooperate in clamping, collapsing and sealing together the layers of the tube in transverse regions thereof and at regularly spaced points. The heat supplied to this transverse portion of the tube softens the thermoplastic material and forms a seal 23.

After the transverse seal 23 has been formed, the element 20 advances together with the tube to the position illustrated in dotted outline which is removed from the original position thereof a predetermined distance depending upon the length of the individual packets III which it is desired to form. At this second position the two faces of the element 20 are withdrawn and returned to their original position where they are reclamped over the tube 22 to be ready for the next charge of material from the feeder ll. After the tube. has been sealed into individual packages ill, the seals 23 advance to a scoring device 25. The scoring device 25 impresses or cuts a score line or slots 28 along the seal 23 to form a weakened line for tearing. The packages may thus be easily severed along the weakened I lines 26. Beyond the scoring device 25 is a stacking chute 21 into which the packages I'll are introduced to form a stack. When the desired number of the individual packages Ill have been stacked, they may be wrapped into a separate wrapping or the like such as is shown in Fig. 3 or Fig. 4. s

In Fig. 3 a stack of individual packages have been shown to be inserted into a carton 30. This carton may be made of paper, metal, glass, cardboard, cloth or the like, to form a unit capable of being readily and practically merchandised.

In Fig. 4 the stack has been shown wrapped in the binding 31. Other bindings and wrappings,

of course, are contemplated. It will be noted that space. The Pliofllm or other covering is sufficiently elastic so that the contents of the individual packages Hi may expand at the ends adjacent the seal 23 and fill. up the corners of the package. substantially all of the, space in the carton.

When a housewife purchases a carton of these individual packages, the carton may be opened without fear of deteriorating the contents since they are protected in the individual hermetically sealed packages l0. One or more of the individual packages may be severed from the string, the number taken depending upon. the amount of cofl'ee, for example, which she desires to prepare. It is desirable to place in each of the packages a sufllcient amount of coiIee to make a definite number of cups. For example, enough coflee for 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 cups may beplaced in each package 10. The housewife can readily sever from the string the proper amount of packages which are needed. In this way there is no wastage of coffee due to inaccuracy of measurement and the housewife may always be assuredthat she has taken the correct amount of coffee for her needs and that said-coffee has its original aroma and flavor. It is possible, of course, to provide different sized packages for strong or weak preparations, as one skilled in' the art would understand.

Variations and modifications may be resorted to which are within the scope and spirit of the spaced regions that extend transversely of the tube to provide a series of interconnected hermetical'y sealed individual packets, all -of which are of equal size and are adapted to contain Thus, the present container utilizesv equal quantities of coffee, and a paper backing strip coextensive with the tube when flattened.

and secured thereto along the said spaced regions. 2. Acontainer for coffee comprising an elongated strip of sheet rubber material folded into tubular form and having adjacent longitudinal edges that overlap, said edges being coextensively secured together throughout the entire length of the overlapping portions, the inner opposed sides of the tube being secured to each other throughout a series of equally spaced regions that extend transversely of the tube to provide a series of interconnected hermetically sealed individual packets, all of which are of equal size and are adapted to contain equal quantities of coffee, and a paper backing strip coextensive with the folded tube and secured thereto along the said spaced regions, said backing strip being of a width equal to the width of the folded tube and being unattached thereto except in the said spaced regions.

3. 'A container for coffee comprising an elongated strip of sheet rubber material of tubular form and having adjacent longitudinal edges that overlap, said edges being homogeneously united throughout the entire length of the overlapping portions, the inner opposed sides of the tube being homogeneously united throughout a series of equally spaced regions that extend transversely of the tube to provide a series of individual packets, and a paper backing strip coextensive with the tube and physically united thereto along the homogeneousfy united portions of the tube, said backing strip being of a width equal to the width of the tube when flattened and being unattached thereto except in the regions of the homogeneously united portions of the tube.

4. A container for coffee comprising an elongated strip of sheet rubber material of tubular form and having adjacent longitudinal edges that overlap, said edges being homogeneously united throughout the entire length of the overlapping portions, the inner opposed sides of the tube being homogeneously united throughout a series of equally spaced regions that extend! transversely of the tube to provide a series of individual packets, and a paper backing strip coextensive with the tube and physically united thereto along the homogeneously united portions 

